Phi is where you would expect to find him today, occupying the Friday slot.
I actually found this puzzle to be towards the more difficult end of the Phi spectrum, despite the fact that it appears on a solver-friendly grid, with four 15-letter entries and many checked letters being the first letters of grid entries. And, needless to say, I have spotted no (ghost) theme.
I have struggled to parse a few of the shorter entries, despite having gone away and come back to the puzzle with a fresh pair of eyes. I will come back and update the blog later, once I have discovered from other solvers how I should have parsed the wordplay at 6 and 15 as well as the definition at 14A – thanks for input!
I was also somewhat thrown by the spelling at 1A, since I had always assumed that the “coal” referred to the black in the tit’s plumage and thus could not possibly entertain in my mind any alternative to “coal” – we live and learn, as they say! 2 was also new to me, although it could be worked out satisfactorily from the wordplay.
My favourite clues today were 3 and 12, both for their cleverly disguised definitions, with surface readings that sent the solver off in completely the wrong direction; and, above all, the lovely & lit. at 22.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | COLE TIT | Flapper allowed one into bed
[LET (=allowed) + I (=one)] in COT (=bed); cole tit is an alternative spelling of “coal tit” |
| 05 | DECOCTS | Sources of dark enchantment creating this month’s boils
D<ark> E<nchantment> C<reating> (“sources of” means first letters only) + OCT’S (=this month’s); to decoct is to prepare by boiling |
| 09 | MAKE MINCEMEAT OF | Crush most of bolt locking in Christmas delicacy
MINCEMEAT (=Christmas delicacy) in MAKE OF<f> (=bolt, i.e. run away; “most of” means last letter is dropped) |
| 10 | LEG-UP | Support, say, University being included in historic record
[E.G. (=say, for example) + U (=University, as in OUP)] in LP (=historic record, i.e. long-playing record) |
| 11 | SIMULCAST | Version of musical to begin artlessly – it’s on TV and radio
*(MUSICAL) + ST<art> (=begin; “artlessly” means letters “art” are dropped); “version of” is anagram indicator; a simulcast is a simultaneous broadcast on e.g. TV and radio |
| 12 | TENDERISE | Pound to be prone to increase after investment by English
E (=English) in [TEND (=be prone to) + RISE (=to increase)]; chefs pound e.g. steaks to tenderise them |
| 14 | CREEP | Waterway having reduced soft trickle
CREE<k> (=waterway; “having reduced” means last letter is dropped) + P (=soft, from piano in music) |
| 15 | FABLE | Very good bit of verse expressing popular moral tale
FAB (=very good, from fabulous) + L<in>E (=bit of verse; “expressing – i.e. squeezing out- popular (=in)” means letters “in” are dropped |
| 16 | BUMPTIOUS | Overbearing, despicable and holier-than-thou about source of truth
BUM (=despicable) + [T<ruth> (“source of” means first letter only) in PIOUS (=holier-than-thou)] |
| 18 | UNSETTLED | Changeable, awaiting colonists’ arrival?
Cryptically, a territory that is unsettled, not yet settled, could be described as “awaiting colonists’ arrival” to settle it! |
| 21 | SEPIA | Returned copies, including one resembling an early photo
I (=one) in APES (=copies, imitates); “returned” indicates reversal |
| 22 | THE MORNING AFTER | Term for an end to intemperate night getting drunk?
*(TERM FOR AN + <intemperat>E NIGHT); “end to” means last letter only; “getting drunk” is anagram indicator; & lit. |
| 23 | MISTAKE | Obscure fraud with no hint of financial error
MIST (=obscure, as verb) + <f>AKE (=fraud; “with no hint, i.e. first letter, of F<inancial>” means letter “f” is dropped) |
| 24 | THE FLAT | Some horse racing crime probed by the French
LA (=the French, i.e. a French word for the) in THEFT (=crime); the flat is flat (horse) racing |
| Down | ||
| 01 | CAMELOT | Arrived with refugee from divine retribution in Arthurian site
CAME (=arrived) + LOT (=refugee from divine retribution, i.e. escaping from destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in OT) |
| 02 | LIKE GANGBUSTERS | Scots to go out of business over hesitation in Facebook responses from the US effectively
[GANG (=Scots to go, i.e. a Scottish word for to go) + BUST (=out of business, bankrupt) + ER (=hesitation)] in LIKES (=Facebook responses, i.e. to members’ posts); “like gangbusters” is an expression in US English that means “with great speed, impact and effectiveness”, referring to the crack police units responsible for combatting criminal gangs |
| 03 | TIMEPIECE | Watch game engaging millions on the quiet, we hear
[M (=millions) in TIE (=game, match, as in cup tie)] + homophone (“we hear”) of “peace”=quiet |
| 04 | TONGS | They seize a good deal, with Government intervening
G (=government) in TONS (=a good deal (of)) |
| 05 | DREAM TEAM | Stop clumsy mate coming round about more successful partnership?
RE (=about, regarding) in [DAM (=stop, block) + *(MATE)]; “clumsy” is anagram indicator |
| 06 | CREEL | Boat losing stern over fish basket at sea
CR<aft> (=boat; “losing stern (=aft)” means letters “aft” are dropped) + EEL (=fish) |
| 07 | COTTAGE HOSPITAL | Go to this place for treatment, with gratified response, being admitted
TA (=gratified response) in *(GO TO THIS PLACE); “for treatment” is anagram indicator; semi- & lit. |
| 08 | SOFT TOP | Sports car frequently limited by red light?
OFT (=frequently) in STOP (=red light) |
| 13 | IMBALANCE | One business graduate with way to limit Conservative bias
I (=one) + MBA (=business graduate, i.e. Master of Business Administration) + [C (=Conservative) in LANE (=way)] |
| 14 | CITY STATE | Urban development, static yet bustling
*(STATIC YET); “bustling” is anagram indicator |
| 15 | FRUSTUM | A lot of rage about decaying material in part of cone
RUST (=decaying material) in FUM<e> (=rage, as verb; “a lot of” means last letter is dropped); the frustum is the part of a geometric cone between the base and a parallel plane |
| 17 | SEA FRET | Coastal weather drifting far into river, on reflection
*(FAR) in SEET (TEES=river; “on reflection” indicates reversal) |
| 19 | THORA | Girl honouring Norse god nevertheless supported by Egyptian god
THO’ (=nevertheless) + RA (=Egyptian god); the name Thora may mean Thor’s battle, hence “honouring Norse god” |
| 20 | DONUT | Acceptable to block reduced tax for sweet food
ON (=acceptable, as in That’s just not on) in DUT<y> (=tax; “reduced” means last letter is dropped) |
Thanks RatkojaRiku
I parsed 15ac as FAB (very good) L[in]E (bit of verse {line} expressing popular {in}) with the definition simply ‘moral tale’
I think 6dn is CR[aft] (boat losing stern) EEL (fish)
Thanks RR for the blog and Phi for the crossword. Phi was one of my favourite setters from my Listener-solving days so I always look forward to Fridays.
For 6d, the “stern” is “aft” being dropped from craft, I think.
For 15a the part of verse is “line” dropping “in” (popular) and the definition is just “moral tale”.
Dammit, I knew I should refreshed before submitting. You beat me, Gaufrid!
Thanks to Gaufrid and postmortes for your input – the blog has been amended accordingly!
Nice one from Phi. I liked ‘the morning after’ for some curious reason!
Many thanks, have a nice weekend everyone.
We got it all but without being able to parse everything. We thought 22ac was simply a cryptic definition but otoh we managed to get 2dn, which we hadn’t heard of, by carefully parsing the clue.
Good stuff from Phi, as usual. We can’t see any theme/nina, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one.
Thanks, Phi and RatkojaRiku.